1. Reflect on your current assessment practices. How have you been determining what students understand and what they are able to do? I assess students using a variety of formal and informal assessments. I tend to include some type of informal assessment in each lesson so that I can assess whether or not the students are grasping the material. Since both of my student teaching placements have used block scheduling, I have had an easier time incorporating activities into class that are able to function as informal or formative assessments. Activities that I have used to assess students have been labs, homework questions, drawing a cartoon to depict a concept, writing a poem about a particular idea, reflecting about a certain question asked in class, and several other activities. A lot of times the informal assessments that I give are not of written form. I find that the lesson can usually be assessed by having a class discussion. This can be difficult due to the fact that not everyone has to participate in order to have the discussion. This makes the assessment of everyone difficult, so I tend to mix it up and provide a balance of activities and discussion to assess my students.
As far as formal assessments, I tended to use tests and quizzes mostly. I would like to incorporate more projects and lab report in this category. In my middle school I did incorporate a project in which the student took you on a journey through the cell. In this project they created a model of the cell, then also used Photostory to narrate and illustrate a story of their journey through the cell. It is important to assess students in a variety of ways so that everyone's unique skills an abilities are taken into account.
Overall, I use informal assessment to determine if the students are understanding the concepts and reaching my objectives for every lesson. My informal assessments allow me to see if my lesson plans are on track or if I need to use another strategy to reach the students. My formal assessments help me to determine if the students actually "got it". It helps me to see if I have done my job and the students have done their job.
Nice explanation
2. Describe the concept(s) that you are trying to assess in these assignments. Include a link to the appropriate GSE(s) on RIScienceTeachers. Be sure to include in your description your definition, examples of what it is, why students have difficulty with this concept, and why it is important that you teach this topic Formal Assessment
The concepts that were covered were the first half of my unit on ecology, which included ecological interactions, food webs and the flow of energy through the biosphere. Ecological Interactions cover the various relationships between the biotic factors of the ecosystem, such as predator/prey, Food webs are a type of interaction that is defined by the predator/prey relationship. It is important to teach these concepts so that students grasp where energy comes through in the environment and gain an understanding of how organisms (including humans) are all related in the ecosystem.
Some common misconceptions that students had were:
Difference between food webs/food chains
Most students think that food chains are present more in nature, because they are easier to see. Predator eats prey eats producer, etc. Some students didn't know the differences between the two. Students should be aware of the interrelationships between organisms and how one organism can have an impact on many organisms.
All energy is transferred to each trophic level
Students thought that energy was simply transferred in the form of food from one organism to the next. This is an important concept to address because it highlights the significance of producers in the food pyramid.
Various ecological interactions not understood. Students needed to understand that predator/prey or parasitism is important in order to limit population density. They also needed to understand why some organism rely on each other and how when one is affected, so is the other (i.e. mutualism/commensalism).
My assessment addressed the following GSE's LS2 (5-6) - 5
Students demonstrate an understanding of equilibrium in an ecosystem by …
5a identifying and defining an ecosystem and the variety of relationships within it (e.g., predator/prey, consumer/ producer/decomposer,host/parasite, catastrophic events).
Students demonstrate an understanding of equilibrium in an ecosystem by …
3a defining and giving an example of equilibrium in an ecosystem.
Informal Assessment
The concepts that I addressed with this assessment was the students understanding of the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is the phenomenon that occurs when greenhouse gases (Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and CFCs) trapped solar radiation in our atmosphere as heat. The heat lingers in our atmosphere creating an effect that one might normally expect to see in a greenhouse. Other concepts that I addressed were experimental design, control, independent verses dependent variables, etc. These concepts are important for students to understand because designing experiments and testing hypotheses is an integral part of the learning process. The greenhouse effect is important to comprehend because it is one of the reasons that life on earth is possible.
Some common misconceptions that students had were:
Many students had heard the term, but did not know how to explain it. It was important for them to understand what it was because it is what makes life on our planet possible. Without the greenhouse effect our planet might be much colder and unable to support life as we know it.
The Greenhouse Effect is bad: Many students didn't understand how the greenhouse effect supported life on our planet. They assumed it was global warming and bad for our environment. It is important for students to see the difference between the two and how an enhanced greenhouse effect could lead to global warming/climate change.
The difference between Independent/Dependent Variables: Students had trouble setting up their experiments. It is important for them to understand that each experiment needs and independent variable, dependent variable, control and constants in order for it to be valid. Without it the students' science experiments might not be accurate.
What about situations where data collected independently is correlated, e.g. CO2 levels and Average Earth Temperature. How did you explain that there is not a "dependent" variable in this case? Or is that what you would conclude?
The following GSE was addressed: LS2 (9-11) -3 Students demonstrate an understanding of equilibrium in an ecosystem by …
3b describing ways in which humans can modify ecosystems and describe and predict the potential impact (e.g. human population growth; technology; destruction of habitats; agriculture; pollution; and atmospheric changes). Are all human impacts negative?
3. (and 7) Describe an informal assessment that you selected, modified, or designed to address this concept. Summarize the instructions you gave your students and Include a link to the informal assessment here as well.
Greenhouse Effect Inquiry This informal Inquiry allowed the students to investigate a model of the greenhouse effect. The materials were laid out on the lab benches and we review student understanding of the greenhouse effect. After diagramming the effect on the board, the students were instructed to move to the lab benches were a plastic bottle, playdough, heat lamp, computer and digital thermometer were provided. Students were then instructed to use the items that were provided to design an experiment which would model the greenhouse effect.
4. (and 8) Create a formal assessment. Describe this assessment, including concepts, types of items, and how it was assessed. Include a link to a copy of the assessment here as well.
Quiz on Population, Ecological Interaction and Energy Cycles:
This quiz covered the first have of my unit on ecology. The concepts that were measured where what ecology studied, ecological interactions, food webs and the various trophic levels that energy circulates through. The students were instructed to clear there desks and read the directions on the quiz. When they were done, they were to turn it in to me.
5. Develop the evaluation criteria (or key) for your formal assessment or link it here. Quiz Key
6. Develop the evaluation criteria (or key) for your informal assessment or link it here. This description should include the assessment's features, how it addresses different depths of knowledge, as well as an explanation of how it addresses a scientific practice related to inquiry.
Is your rubric supposed to consist of just a single row dealing with experimental design?
7. & 8. - Already addressed above.
9. For your informal assessment, upload scans of the work of three or four students. The work of each student should be on a different page. At the bottom of each students' page, you should describe the level of student understanding, e.g. high, average, or low, and describe how this is indicated in their answers. An example of how to do this is here. Note: Remember to name the pages you create carefully, e.g. "Smith S10 - High Performing" instead of "High-Performing."
10 For you formal assessment, describe how you think it addressed the concepts you were trying to assess? How did you modify the assessment to address learning differences or special needs? The assessment was designed in a way to address all of the topics that were discussed in someway. I attempted to use various methods to assess such as multiple choice, true false, and short answer. In order to address students with special needs I provided word banks for certain problems as well as creating graphic organizers to help the student organize their thoughts.
III. Analysis / Reflection
11. Use both the informal and formal assessments to describe what you learned about what your students understand about these concepts. Use specific examples from both the informal and formal assessment to illustrate your points. What can your students do now that they could not before, and what do they still need to learn?
What I learned from designing my own assessments is that students need clear expectations outlined for them. It also helps to make a visual of these expectations either by handing out a rubric or writing the expectations on the board. The informal assessment was tricky to analyze because the students were not used to figuring things out on their own, but rather wanted step by step instructions on how to create their model. After the first class I learned from my mistake and had a class discussion about what each of the materials might represent. This allowed the students to think for themselves, but still gave them the guidance that they needed for the inquiry activity.
With the formal assessment, most students understood the material, but didn't know how to apply it. This showed me that the students had mostly memorized the content but didn't really understand it. They had become familiar with the topic but not enough to make sense of it. Because this was a quiz, it afforded me the opportunity to go back over the material that the students had trouble with and better prepare them to handle it.
12. OMIT
13. For your formal assessment only, select one student characteristic, e.g. ability, gender, age, etc) and compare the relative performance of each group. Hint: Use box and whiskers plots to compare the two groups. What do you conclude from this comparison? Why?
After calculating the averages for the girls and calculating the averages for the boys, I found that the girls averaged about a 78 and the boys averaged about a 70. I am not sure why this would occur. Looking back at my classes, I find that the girls seem to sit closer to the front and also participate more. This could have an effect on their student learning. Thinking about the arrangement of the room, most of the students that sit toward the back had the lower scores and most of the students that tend to sit toward the front have higher scores.
14. Describe any ways in which you involved students in self-assessment. How did you communicate what you learned from your informal and formal assessments to your students? What did they do with this information?
For my formal assessment, I went over the quiz with the students. We discussed the problems that the students had difficulty with and corrected any misconception that the students might have had. This is how I determined that the students had trouble with the application questions. This review helped them better prepare for their unit test.
For the informal assessment, I was able to see that the students had trouble designing experiments. They had review variables, control and constant in the beginning of the year but didn't seem to recognize what it was for this task. Again this may have had to do with the students ability to recall factual material, but have difficulty with applying what they have learned.
15: Most Important: Compare your objectives for student learning (both in terms of science concepts and practices) to the student learning you observed. What did you learn about your teaching based on the student performances? What will you do differently next time? Why would you make these changes? What, if anything, will you do to improve the assessment instruments?
My objectives for students learning was for students to understand the concepts that were discussed and be able to explain them. I wanted students to think like scientists and be able to be creative with their experimental design, utilizing their prior knowledge, to make meaning of a new concept. I learned that students sometimes need more familiarity with experimental term and designing their own experiments. I feel like a lot of them are used to the "game of school" and expect the information just to be given to them. I do not want my students to just be empty vessels to fill with information. I want them to be critical thinkers and imaginative problem solvers. In order for me to do that I need to present materials in multiple ways, with multiple examples so that students might grasp a better understanding of the material rather than just memorizing it. Also it is important to incorporate hands-on activities so that students might get to demonstrate their application of the materials. More importantly I think I would like to incorporate more experimental design activities into the classroom. Next time I think I would spend more time making sure that the students understand clearly what is expected of them before they begin the task. This is important because it allows the student to access the lesson fully, rather than just being passively confused. To improve on these assessment activities, I would incorporate clearer expectations next time, especially for the informal assessment.
Nice reflection. One thing to consider: Do the questions I ask for the lab encourage students to apply the theory that they have learned in class? How can you redesign the worksheet to encourage connections, e.g. having students label the "types of air" in their experiment and a graphic of the GE might address the "bad air" misconception.
Formal and Informal Assessment of Student Learning
Name:
I. Assignment Description/Requirements
II. Preparation / Development
1. Reflect on your current assessment practices. How have you been determining what students understand and what they are able to do?
I assess students using a variety of formal and informal assessments. I tend to include some type of informal assessment in each lesson so that I can assess whether or not the students are grasping the material. Since both of my student teaching placements have used block scheduling, I have had an easier time incorporating activities into class that are able to function as informal or formative assessments. Activities that I have used to assess students have been labs, homework questions, drawing a cartoon to depict a concept, writing a poem about a particular idea, reflecting about a certain question asked in class, and several other activities. A lot of times the informal assessments that I give are not of written form. I find that the lesson can usually be assessed by having a class discussion. This can be difficult due to the fact that not everyone has to participate in order to have the discussion. This makes the assessment of everyone difficult, so I tend to mix it up and provide a balance of activities and discussion to assess my students.
As far as formal assessments, I tended to use tests and quizzes mostly. I would like to incorporate more projects and lab report in this category. In my middle school I did incorporate a project in which the student took you on a journey through the cell. In this project they created a model of the cell, then also used Photostory to narrate and illustrate a story of their journey through the cell. It is important to assess students in a variety of ways so that everyone's unique skills an abilities are taken into account.
Overall, I use informal assessment to determine if the students are understanding the concepts and reaching my objectives for every lesson. My informal assessments allow me to see if my lesson plans are on track or if I need to use another strategy to reach the students. My formal assessments help me to determine if the students actually "got it". It helps me to see if I have done my job and the students have done their job.
Nice explanation
2. Describe the concept(s) that you are trying to assess in these assignments. Include a link to the appropriate GSE(s) on RIScienceTeachers. Be sure to include in your description your definition, examples of what it is, why students have difficulty with this concept, and why it is important that you teach this topic
Formal Assessment
The concepts that were covered were the first half of my unit on ecology, which included ecological interactions, food webs and the flow of energy through the biosphere. Ecological Interactions cover the various relationships between the biotic factors of the ecosystem, such as predator/prey, Food webs are a type of interaction that is defined by the predator/prey relationship. It is important to teach these concepts so that students grasp where energy comes through in the environment and gain an understanding of how organisms (including humans) are all related in the ecosystem.
Some common misconceptions that students had were:
My assessment addressed the following GSE's
LS2 (5-6) - 5
- Students demonstrate an understanding of equilibrium in an ecosystem by …
- 5a identifying and defining an ecosystem and the variety of relationships within it (e.g., predator/prey, consumer/ producer/decomposer,host/parasite, catastrophic events).
LS2 (7-8) - 7- Students demonstrate an understanding of recycling in an ecosystem by …
- 7a diagramming or sequencing a series of steps showing how matter cycles among and between organisms and the physical environment.
- 7b developing a model for a food web of local aquatic and local terrestrial environments.
LS2 (9-11) -3Informal Assessment
The concepts that I addressed with this assessment was the students understanding of the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is the phenomenon that occurs when greenhouse gases (Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and CFCs) trapped solar radiation in our atmosphere as heat. The heat lingers in our atmosphere creating an effect that one might normally expect to see in a greenhouse. Other concepts that I addressed were experimental design, control, independent verses dependent variables, etc. These concepts are important for students to understand because designing experiments and testing hypotheses is an integral part of the learning process. The greenhouse effect is important to comprehend because it is one of the reasons that life on earth is possible.
Some common misconceptions that students had were:
- Many students had heard the term, but did not know how to explain it. It was important for them to understand what it was because it is what makes life on our planet possible. Without the greenhouse effect our planet might be much colder and unable to support life as we know it.
- The Greenhouse Effect is bad: Many students didn't understand how the greenhouse effect supported life on our planet. They assumed it was global warming and bad for our environment. It is important for students to see the difference between the two and how an enhanced greenhouse effect could lead to global warming/climate change.
- The difference between Independent/Dependent Variables: Students had trouble setting up their experiments. It is important for them to understand that each experiment needs and independent variable, dependent variable, control and constants in order for it to be valid. Without it the students' science experiments might not be accurate.
What about situations where data collected independently is correlated, e.g. CO2 levels and Average Earth Temperature. How did you explain that there is not a "dependent" variable in this case? Or is that what you would conclude?The following GSE was addressed:
LS2 (9-11) -3
Students demonstrate an understanding of equilibrium in an ecosystem by …
3b describing ways in which humans can modify ecosystems and describe and predict the potential impact (e.g. human population growth; technology; destruction of habitats; agriculture; pollution; and atmospheric changes). Are all human impacts negative?
3. (and 7) Describe an informal assessment that you selected, modified, or designed to address this concept. Summarize the instructions you gave your students and Include a link to the informal assessment here as well.
Greenhouse Effect Inquiry
This informal Inquiry allowed the students to investigate a model of the greenhouse effect. The materials were laid out on the lab benches and we review student understanding of the greenhouse effect. After diagramming the effect on the board, the students were instructed to move to the lab benches were a plastic bottle, playdough, heat lamp, computer and digital thermometer were provided. Students were then instructed to use the items that were provided to design an experiment which would model the greenhouse effect.
4. (and 8) Create a formal assessment. Describe this assessment, including concepts, types of items, and how it was assessed. Include a link to a copy of the assessment here as well.
Quiz on Population, Ecological Interaction and Energy Cycles:
This quiz covered the first have of my unit on ecology. The concepts that were measured where what ecology studied, ecological interactions, food webs and the various trophic levels that energy circulates through. The students were instructed to clear there desks and read the directions on the quiz. When they were done, they were to turn it in to me.
5. Develop the evaluation criteria (or key) for your formal assessment or link it here.
Quiz Key
6. Develop the evaluation criteria (or key) for your informal assessment or link it here. This description should include the assessment's features, how it addresses different depths of knowledge, as well as an explanation of how it addresses a scientific practice related to inquiry.
Is your rubric supposed to consist of just a single row dealing with experimental design?
7. & 8. - Already addressed above.
9. For your informal assessment, upload scans of the work of three or four students. The work of each student should be on a different page. At the bottom of each students' page, you should describe the level of student understanding, e.g. high, average, or low, and describe how this is indicated in their answers. An example of how to do this is here. Note: Remember to name the pages you create carefully, e.g. "Smith S10 - High Performing" instead of "High-Performing."
Hawkins Student Work - S10 High
Hawkins Student Work - S10 Medium
Hawkins Student Work - S10 Low
10 For you formal assessment, describe how you think it addressed the concepts you were trying to assess? How did you modify the assessment to address learning differences or special needs?
The assessment was designed in a way to address all of the topics that were discussed in someway. I attempted to use various methods to assess such as multiple choice, true false, and short answer. In order to address students with special needs I provided word banks for certain problems as well as creating graphic organizers to help the student organize their thoughts.
III. Analysis / Reflection
11. Use both the informal and formal assessments to describe what you learned about what your students understand about these concepts. Use specific examples from both the informal and formal assessment to illustrate your points. What can your students do now that they could not before, and what do they still need to learn?
What I learned from designing my own assessments is that students need clear expectations outlined for them. It also helps to make a visual of these expectations either by handing out a rubric or writing the expectations on the board. The informal assessment was tricky to analyze because the students were not used to figuring things out on their own, but rather wanted step by step instructions on how to create their model. After the first class I learned from my mistake and had a class discussion about what each of the materials might represent. This allowed the students to think for themselves, but still gave them the guidance that they needed for the inquiry activity.
With the formal assessment, most students understood the material, but didn't know how to apply it. This showed me that the students had mostly memorized the content but didn't really understand it. They had become familiar with the topic but not enough to make sense of it. Because this was a quiz, it afforded me the opportunity to go back over the material that the students had trouble with and better prepare them to handle it.
12. OMIT
13. For your formal assessment only, select one student characteristic, e.g. ability, gender, age, etc) and compare the relative performance of each group. Hint: Use box and whiskers plots to compare the two groups. What do you conclude from this comparison? Why?
After calculating the averages for the girls and calculating the averages for the boys, I found that the girls averaged about a 78 and the boys averaged about a 70. I am not sure why this would occur. Looking back at my classes, I find that the girls seem to sit closer to the front and also participate more. This could have an effect on their student learning. Thinking about the arrangement of the room, most of the students that sit toward the back had the lower scores and most of the students that tend to sit toward the front have higher scores.
14. Describe any ways in which you involved students in self-assessment. How did you communicate what you learned from your informal and formal assessments to your students? What did they do with this information?
For my formal assessment, I went over the quiz with the students. We discussed the problems that the students had difficulty with and corrected any misconception that the students might have had. This is how I determined that the students had trouble with the application questions. This review helped them better prepare for their unit test.
For the informal assessment, I was able to see that the students had trouble designing experiments. They had review variables, control and constant in the beginning of the year but didn't seem to recognize what it was for this task. Again this may have had to do with the students ability to recall factual material, but have difficulty with applying what they have learned.
15: Most Important: Compare your objectives for student learning (both in terms of science concepts and practices) to the student learning you observed. What did you learn about your teaching based on the student performances? What will you do differently next time? Why would you make these changes? What, if anything, will you do to improve the assessment instruments?
My objectives for students learning was for students to understand the concepts that were discussed and be able to explain them. I wanted students to think like scientists and be able to be creative with their experimental design, utilizing their prior knowledge, to make meaning of a new concept. I learned that students sometimes need more familiarity with experimental term and designing their own experiments. I feel like a lot of them are used to the "game of school" and expect the information just to be given to them. I do not want my students to just be empty vessels to fill with information. I want them to be critical thinkers and imaginative problem solvers. In order for me to do that I need to present materials in multiple ways, with multiple examples so that students might grasp a better understanding of the material rather than just memorizing it. Also it is important to incorporate hands-on activities so that students might get to demonstrate their application of the materials. More importantly I think I would like to incorporate more experimental design activities into the classroom. Next time I think I would spend more time making sure that the students understand clearly what is expected of them before they begin the task. This is important because it allows the student to access the lesson fully, rather than just being passively confused. To improve on these assessment activities, I would incorporate clearer expectations next time, especially for the informal assessment.
Nice reflection. One thing to consider: Do the questions I ask for the lab encourage students to apply the theory that they have learned in class? How can you redesign the worksheet to encourage connections, e.g. having students label the "types of air" in their experiment and a graphic of the GE might address the "bad air" misconception.